What are the main coconut oil benefits for hair?
Coconut oil offers several benefits for hair, making it a popular natural choice for hair care:
Softens and conditions hair: Coconut oil helps to reduce protein loss in hair, making it a great conditioning agent.
Promotes hair growth: Although robust scientific evidence is limited, coconut oil has been cited to strengthen hair, making it longer, thicker, and healthier.
Adds shine: The natural oils in coconut oil help lock in moisture, providing a glow and luster to hair.
Stimulates hair growth: Coconut oil's vitamins and essential fatty acids nourish the scalp and help to remove sebum build-up from hair follicles, potentially helping with hair growth.
Tames frizz: Coconut oil is excellent for smoothing and preventing frizz, helping to achieve sleeker and softer styles.
Heat protection: The oil can be used as a natural heat protectant to reduce hot tool damage, preventing potential damage from dryers and irons.
Fights scalp conditions: Coconut oil can help treat fungus and subsequent flaking due to its moisturizing and anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory properties, potentially repairing the scalp's moisture barrier over time.
Prevents protein loss: Coconut oil has been found to prevent more protein loss in hair compared to sunflower and mineral oils.
Lice prevention: Limited studies suggest that coconut oil may be effective at treating head lice when combined with anise in a spray.
Dandruff treatment: Coconut oil has antimicrobial properties that could help treat dandruff caused by fungus or yeast overgrowth on the scalp.
To maximize these benefits, it's best to use extra virgin coconut oil (EVOO).